When the Android phone comes out, maybe it can make a cottage. But mobile phones are not something you want to create. At present, there are over 250,000 patents and nearly 5 million hidden restrictions.
Do you know that each mobile phone involves more than 250,000 patents, which adds up to 5 million hidden restrictions for individuals to manufacture smart phones? Perhaps the figures are exaggerated, but this is the reality.
The most typical example is that although Android is an open source operating system that anyone can download and modify, a developer who knows Java, Eclipse, Git, modern hardware architecture and software design principles can DIY an Android phone, or maybe two eggs next door can make a decent Android cottage. But if you want to make your own mobile phone, just stick a shiny LOGO on it. Sorry, the patent right doesn't allow you to do this.
Although I am open source, I will arm myself with patents.
Mobile phone is the core equipment of modern science and technology industry, and its powerful function must have been experienced by everyone. Being able to occupy a place in the mobile phone market means planting a cash cow for a company. The importance of mobile phone to life and industry has led to a large number of patents registered around it. Modern smart phones involve more than 250,000 patents from design concept to operation mode. According to the average usage limit of 20 per patent, if you want to make your own mobile phone, you will face as many as 5 million hidden restrictions.
For individuals, it is inevitable that there are not enough lawyers and engineers to avoid the 5 million rules and regulations. In fact, even Google has no ability to mobilize enough resources to circumvent all restrictions, and can only hope that no one will sue. An article entitled "Cases Against Patents" explains how the company treats these numerous patents when developing mobile phones. This article was written by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, which mentioned:
The company requires its engineers not to study other people's existing patents when developing products, which can help them avoid intentional infringement prosecution. If convicted of intentional infringement, the company will have to bear high compensation. In the patent war between Oracle Bone Inscriptions and Google, the head of Google's Android development department swore in court ... The engineers who developed Android didn't pay attention to Apple or anyone's patents, and their development success should not be learned and helped from any side.
The recent success of Google's desperate development strategy is due to its acquisition of Motorola, which also owns a large number of related patents. If you also want to make your own mobile phone without patent prosecution, then the best way is to … buy a Motorola. To tell the truth, basically only large technology companies can swim twice in the muddy water with 250,000 patents. The design, prototype, program, manufacturing, delivery and distribution of mobile phones have high thresholds. If you want to make your own mobile phone, you must at least be able to complete the above links, let alone register some patents.
Despite the hardships, the career of personal mobile phone manufacturing has finally dawned recently, because more and more people in the industry are beginning to realize the problems in this field. Richard Posner, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School and a judge of the Federal Court of Appeal, contributed to The Atlantic, expressing his concern about the complicated patent system in the United States. In addition to St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank and Posner, Mark Lemley, a professor at Stanford Law School, also expressed his views on the status quo of patents through media channels.
So, if you want to build your own mobile phone, please stick to it and things will change. Most people think that the law should give everyone the right to make their own mobile phones. However, you may have to wait a long time.